5 replies to this topic

[Mum]

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My 13 yr old son has had severe abdominal pains for 4 months, he has just been put onto FODMAP diet, which he has stuck with for one week with no improvement at all......any idea how long before an improvement can be seen? his pain is so bad he can't attend school and others don't seem to understand how bad the pain is.

[BQ]

Please see our Gas/Flatulence/bloating/Incontinence/Fecal Body Order forum: http://www.ibsgroup....body-odor/There are quite a few threads about the FODMAP there.All the best!

[JoanneHB]

Hi there, my 13 year old also follows this diet and has done so for a couple of years.It was not the 'cure' we hoped for but it helps a lot. It can takes weeks to start seeing benefits.Was your son hydrogen breath tested to ascertain for sure a reaction to either fructose (and fructans) or latose (dairy). My boy had a very strong reaction to the fructose solution. But none to the lactose. This was the only test in the long litany of tests around this miserable thing we call IBS that actually came out with an abnormal result. As a result he is on a low fructose and no fructan (fructans are in wheat and in the onion family especially). He has Post infectious IBS which was very severe during the first year of having it (he was treated by a chronic pain team in the end). Currently he has months when he is OK, normal really then the bowel problems always come back after a virus involving a sore throat. So typically he has flares twice a year.Not great but better than having it all the time. The diet is a part of this improvement as is the VSL#3 probiotic I have him on.Give it a little more time with your boy - and if not tested to know for sure if he has a reaction I'd suggest you do this.J

[Mum]

Hi there, my 13 year old also follows this diet and has done so for a couple of years.It was not the 'cure' we hoped for but it helps a lot. It can takes weeks to start seeing benefits.Was your son hydrogen breath tested to ascertain for sure a reaction to either fructose (and fructans) or latose (dairy). My boy had a very strong reaction to the fructose solution. But none to the lactose. This was the only test in the long litany of tests around this miserable thing we call IBS that actually came out with an abnormal result. As a result he is on a low fructose and no fructan (fructans are in wheat and in the onion family especially). He has Post infectious IBS which was very severe during the first year of having it (he was treated by a chronic pain team in the end). Currently he has months when he is OK, normal really then the bowel problems always come back after a virus involving a sore throat. So typically he has flares twice a year.Not great but better than having it all the time. The diet is a part of this improvement as is the VSL#3 probiotic I have him on.Give it a little more time with your boy - and if not tested to know for sure if he has a reaction I'd suggest you do this.J

[Mum]

thanks so much for your reply....I have enquired about the hydrogen test but no one does it in Tasmania now, they reckon it is not reliable??? but I have heard otherwise, also saw on TV that this breath test can also check for overgrowth of bacteria, overflowing from small to large bowel.We have been to emergency begging for pain relief this week which has lead the GP showing more interest and now back to gastro for more investigation, maybe colonoscopy, GP reckons pain should not be this bad and could be Chrones. Only had endoscopy from throat down so far.Will stick with FODMAP any way for at least 8 weeks, and have ordered Bifidobacterium Infantis 35624 (probiotic)

[faithxlove]

Hello Mum! (That sounds funy ) haha. As JoanneHB has hinted at a bit, it is important to run all the "standard" tests on your son. I see you are considering Crohn's Disease? This is a comment which leads me to suggest further testing with your Doctor/Specialists as it sounds to me like there could be a LOT more going on with your son than your standard "IBS" diagnosis. I'm glad to see the GI taking more interest, I believe he's correct in doing so. Good luck to you and your son, and if he ever wants to talk, our "Teens and Children's Issues" has many Threads (As I'm sure you've seen) With kids all in a similar boat to his own. We'd love to help him out! Hannah